There’s an old saying: “If you love your job you’ll never work a day in your life.” That’s not quite true. Most people work hard. But even when they love their job they still have to do things they don’t like to do. They give effort above and beyond what’s comfortable. It’s probably more accurate to say that if you’re doing something you believe in, the hard work you do will bring you deep satisfaction. Novelist Ursula K. Le Guin stated, “It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end.” Some folks suffer from “destination disease.” They think that arriving at a certain place in the life will bring them happiness. What a shame. Because the reality is that many times when we arrive, we discover that it wasn’t what we expected. If you become fixated on a destination you can miss the great things that happen along the way. You miss the joy of today. If you’re convinced that “someday” is going to be your best day, you won’t put enough into today-or get enough out of it. If you’re not doing something significant with your life, it doesn’t mater how long it is. It’s not enough just to survive you need a reason to live. This is where Christ comes in: He will give you new life, and add purpose to your life-plus the power to fulfill that purpose. D.L. Moody once said, “Let God have your life; He can do more with it than you can.

Time is like money; it must be budgeted. That means determining the difference between the fixed – what you must do – and the discretionary – what you would like to do. What caused Jesus to be such an organized person? (1) He understood His mission. During His final walk to Jerusalem where He would be crucified, His ears picked up the voice of a blind man and He stopped, much to the consternation of His friends. They were irritated that Jesus did not appreciate that Jerusalem was still six or seven hours away and they would like to get there to achieve their purpose, the celebration of the Passover (See Lk 18:35-42). From where they were standing, it appeared that Jesus was misusing His time. But from where Jesus was standing, the time was well spent for it fitted the criteria of His mission. (2) He understood His limits. He knew what we so often forget: that time must be properly budgeted for gathering inner strength and resolve in order to compensate for one’s weaknesses when spiritual warfare begins. Knowing His limits, such private moments were a fixed item on Jesus’ time budget. And it was hard for even those closest to Him to fully appreciate this. (3) He had His eye on the future. Jesus spent the lion’s share of His time training twelve men. He said, “I will build my church” (Mt 16:18 NKJV). How did He plan to build it? Through others. So, the way to maximize your time – is to keep your life’s purpose before you at all times and evaluate each decision in the light of it.

W. A. Criswell noted that before a stone was laid in St. Paul’s Cathedral, Sir Christopher Wren saw it in his mind. Before he struck a chisel against marble, Michelangelo saw the mighty Moses and pursued it in his heart. Why should it surprise us then that the designer and architect of the universe should have a plan and purpose for His creation? The Psalmist said, “You wove me in my mother’s womb” (Ps 139:13 NAS). Before you were even conceived God considered everything that could affect your life, including “the course of world events” (Da 2:21 NLT), decisions of political leaders (Pr 21:1), and how much hair you have (See Lk 12:7). Think about that when you’re having a bad hair day! Dr. Robert Jeffress says: “God’s design not only includes circumstances beyond your control, but those …you assume are under your control. You may think you’re in charge of your time, the route you drive to work, the items you purchase at the supermarket…but ‘The Lord decides what a person will do’ (Pr 20:24 NCV)…all your choices, not just the good ones… If your conception resulted from the premarital liaison of two hormonally-charged teens, an affair, or even a rape… After reading Psalm 139 could you really say your birth was an accident? Somehow God was able to use the moral failure of others to accomplish His plan… and if He can use other people’s mistakes for good, why are we surprised that He can use our mistakes to achieve His purpose? It’s a mind-boggling thought… one that offers hope to anyone who has failed.”

Terry Fox ran across Canada and raised twenty-four million dollars to fight cancer. What’s amazing is that he did it with one leg; cancer had taken the other. He planned to run twenty-six miles each day but because of severe headaches, snow and icy roads, after a month he’d only managed to struggle about eight miles a day. So why did he keep going? Because the purpose in his heart was stronger than the pain in his body. They could amputate his leg, but not his spirit! Commitment is a willingness to do whatever it takes; it’s a promise to yourself, from which you refuse to back down. There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested you do it only when it’s convenient, but when you’re committed you accept no excuses-only results. Only you can decide whether the rewards are worth the efforts, for there are tradeoffs. You can’t have a healthy body and live on junk food. A guaranteed salary is nonexistent when you start your own business. Mindless hours of watching television and straight “A’s” are a rare combination. Commitment means paying your dues. It also means disregarding your critics. Jesus did that. “But Jesus ignored their comments and said…’Don’t be afraid. Just trust me.” (Mk 5:36 TLB). Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “Whatever course you decide upon, there will always be someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.”